How to “Tick to Search” Music on Android

Even though I’m an AI skeptic, Android’s “Circle to Search” feature is a useful implementation of the technology. By holding down the Home button or the navigation bar, you can circle anything on the screen to start a web search. Now, it looks like the feature is expanding beyond the visuals on your smartphone to include audio as well: If you have a compatible device, you can use Circle to Search to both discover music playing on your phone and identify a song playing nearby — including a tune you’re singing or humming.

The feature was first discovered during testing by Android Authority: the site found the feature, called “Audio Search,” during an APK teardown in June, and managed to get it up and running last week. For now, it only seems to be rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S24 handsets, but Android Authority believes it’ll be coming to all smartphones that support Circle to Search soon.

Using Circle to Find Identifying Music

First, expand Circle to Search: If you’re using gesture navigation, hold down the navigation bar. If not, hold down the Home button. Once Circle to Search is up and running, you should see a pop-up informing you about the new feature. In either case, a new music icon will appear in the lower right corner of your screen. Tap it, and your phone will start listening, saying “Play, sing, or hum a song…”

Because it uses your phone’s microphone to analyze the music, you can let it play audio from your phone to identify a mystery song, or let it listen to the audio in the space you’re currently in. If you have a song stuck in your head, sing or hum it and Circle to Search will try to identify the song.

While it’s certainly a handy feature, it’s not exactly the first choice for music identification out there. Programs like Shazam have been around for years, and for a while now you’ve been able to sing or hum into the Google app to find music. Still, if you’re going to be able to search for other things with Circle to Search, why not audio as well?